Steam iron



STEAM IRON L. N. BUTCHER Filed June 5, 1950 INVENTOR. LANCE NOEL BUTCHER BY W ATTORNEYS March 11, 1952 Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STEAM IRON Lance Noel Butcher, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia Application June 5, 1950, Serial No. 166,260 In Australia May 23, 1949 2 Claims. Cl. 38-77) This invention relates to smoothing or pressing irons suitable for household use and for use by tailors, dressmakers and establishments where garments and the like require to be pressed or ironed.

More especially the invention relates to irons of that type which incorporate means for dampi ening the garments or material while ironing is or material to be ironed, is contained in a tank and is fed therefrom to a steam generating tube or tubes embodied in the iron by means of a,v directacting manually operable pump which isfso arranged as to be conveniently actuated ac' cording to requirements while ironing operations are in progress. This i preferably effected by means of an operating lever connected to the pump and having a finger piece disposed be neath and near the front end of the handle of the iron so that the user, while maintaining-a normal grip of the handle can at any time, by simple movement of the forefinger actuate the pump and thus obtain a desired steam action whenever it is desired.

The above and various other objects and features of the invention and the more salient advantages arising therefrom will be more readily apparent from the following description of one: practical embodiment, it being understood that this is furnished primarily by way of example and that various modifications, refinements and/ or additions may be incorporated in the forc going without departing from the spirit and scope; of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

' In the accompanying drawings: a

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of an iron embodying improvements according to one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view omitting the handle and cover plate.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a manually: operable pump for feeding water to the steamgenerating unit.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail showing two values:

for controlling flow of water into and out of the pump.

Figure 5 .is a fragmentary plan view of the block with which the two valves are associated.

According to such practical embodiment, the water tank 2 is disposed immediately rearwards of the heel of the iron and may be conveniently supported in that position by a U shape yoke or bracket 3 which is secured intermediately to the rear upstanding support 4 for the handle 6 of the iron. 4

The rear face 2a. of the tank is preferably flat so that, whenever desired, the iron may be supported in an erect and stable condition with the rear face of the tank resting upon a table, bench or the like. As the tank will invariably be charged with water, the cooling property thereof will be utilised to good advantage when the iron is in the position mentioned.

The pump P may advantageously comprise a metallic or other suitable bellows 1 arranged to upstand within a recess 2b formed in the front or curved face of the water tank and preferably near one side thereof, i. e. the right hand side looking forward. This bellows may have a mushroom like head .8 from which extends downwardly a stem 9 serving as a guide for a coiled spring I I which tends to expand the bellows or, in other words, to raiserthe mushroom like head.

The lower end of the springmay bear against a plug 12 which is screwed upwardly into a valve block l3 and a sleeve M which is mounted upon the valve-block and projects upwardly into the interior of the bellows and encircles the spring I l. A gasket I 5 is disposed between the adjacent faces of the valve block I3 and the sleeve I4.

The sleeve member I4 may be provided, within the bellows, with two passages or ducts l6, I! for water and one of these ducts l6, constituting the inlet to the pump, communicates by way of passage l6a with an inlet valve chamber [8 in the valve block from whicha connection l9 leads from the water tank. The other duct I1, which constitutes an outlet from the pump, leads by way of passage Ila to an outlet valve chamber 21 in the valve block and from that chamber a delivery nipple 22 outstands to receive a pipe 23 which leads to the steam generating unit U.

The connection between nipple 22 and pipe 23 preferably includes a ferrule 24 having a bore which is of relatively minute diameter which limits the flow of water and prevents flooding of the steam generating unit.

A lever 26 for actuating the pump may have a curved rear end 26a which bears upon the upper surface of the head of the bellows. This lever extends lengthwise and forwardly and is pivoted to the aforesaid yoke or bracket or some other suitable part, as at 27, and thence extends forwardly towards the front of the iron, it being given a sideward bend and then a upstanding bend which terminates in a forwardly projecting hook or finger piece 2612, which i disposed beneath and near the front end of the handle 6.

Thus the user, while maintaining a normal ironing grip of the handle 6, may with his or her forefinger very easily and conveniently manipulate the hook like end 261) of the lever 26 and cause it to swing upwardly about its pivot 2'! so that the bellows I will be collapsed or partially collapsed against the action of its spring I l which will immediately return the bellows to the extended position upon release of finger pressure on the lever.

By such action the user can very readily cause water from the tank to be pumped to the steam generating unit precisely as and when required.

The inlet and outlet valves may be of any suitable form, such as cone shaped members as seen in Fig. 4 and can be retained in position by screwed caps 20.

The steam generating unit may be of any suitable form but according to the drawings (see especially Figs. 1 and 2) water delivery pipe 23 is. connected directly and by a branch 23a to two sections of copper tubing 3| arranged at opposite sides of the iron and extending adjacent the heating element 32. The tubing may be bent or fashioned so as to extend over substantially the entire working face of the iron and portions of the tubing may be accommodated in grooves formed in the sole plate 33 and a plate 34 extending above the heating element.

The two sections of the steam generating unit may be interconnected by a sleeve or coupling 36 from which a steam delivery pipe 31 leads to a passage near the front or point of the iron, the sole plate 33 having a slot or a series of slots 38 in its bottom surface for distributing the steam onto the articles or materials being ironed.

To facilitate charging and replenishing the water tank 2, it may have a forwardly projecting neck 39 which can be readily closed by a plug 4|. To render the plug substantially leak proof while permitting air to enter the tank in order to prevent a vacuum being created therein due to operationof the pump, the plug may have an annular groove of somewhat V shape in section to receive a soft rubber orlike ring 42 of substantially square or diamond shape cross section.

Plug 4| may have a breathing port extending more or less lengthwise therethrough, the inner end of the port registering with a rubber or like ring disposed in. an annular groove and which acts as a kind of non-return valve that permits air to be drawn into the tank but excludes the leakage or outflow of water when the iron is inverted.

It is to be understood that the features of the invention can be applied to existing irons as well as being incorporated in the manufacture of new irons.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a steam iron having a sole plate and a heating element associated therewith, a steam generating unit comprising a pair of sections of tubing arranged on the sole plate and in heat transfer relationship with the heating element, said sections being arranged on opposite sides and along the length of the iron in spaced relationship, a water inlet tube connected to one end of each of the sections of tubing, and a steam outlet tube connected to the sole plate and to the other end of each of the sections of tubing whereby the tube sections are connected in parallel with the water inlet tube and the steam outlet tube.

2. In a steazniron having a sole plate, a top plate and a heating element associated with and between the two plates in contact therewith, a steam generating unit comprising a pair, of sections of tubing arranged on the sole plate and under the top plate and on both sides of the heating element, said sections being arranged on opposite sides and along the length of the iron in grooves in the plates, and in spaced relationship relative to the sections of tubing, a water inlet tube connected to a source of water and to one end of each of the sections of tubing, and a steam outlet tube connected to the sole plate and to the other end of each of the sections of tubing whereby the tube sections are connected in parallel with the water inlet tube and the steam outlet tube.

LANCE NOEL BUTCHER.-

REFEEENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

